ESPOO, Finland (Jul 16): The final day of the European U23 Championships witnessed the remarkable triumph of Norway’s decathletes, led by Markus Rooth, who secured victory with an outstanding performance totaling 8608 points.
Markus Rooth, demonstrating his exceptional skills, achieved personal bests in multiple events, including a 10.81-second sprint in the 100m (1.3 wind reading), a 15.31m leap in the shot put, and a blazing 49.05-second finish in the 400m. His remarkable feat set a new championship record.
The battle for podium spots saw Sander Skotheim of Norway closely tailing Markus Rooth with an impressive score of 8561 points, while Sven Roosen of the Netherlands secured third place with a total of 8128 points. ALSO READ: Silesia Diamond League: Records Shattered, Champions Rise, and New World Leads Soar
Norway continued to dominate the track as Andrea Rooth clinched another gold medal in the women’s 400m hurdles, crossing the line in 55.78 seconds. She edged out France’s Louise Maraval (55.83) and Lena Pressler of Austria, who clocked a national record of 55.94 seconds.
Italian athlete Larissa Iapichino showcased her prowess in the long jump, leaping to an impressive distance of 693cm (1.2 wind reading). Her outstanding performance not only equaled the European lead but also marked a personal best. Maja Askag of Sweden finished second with a jump of 673cm (0.9 wind reading).
In other thrilling European U23 Championships events, Turkiye’s Ismail Nezir (49.19) and Berke Akcam (49.48) secured a 1-2 finish in the men’s 400m hurdles, narrowly beating Sweden’s Oskar Edlund (49.57 PB). Israel’s Blessing Afrifa emerged victorious in the men’s 200m with a swift time of 20.67 seconds (-1.1 wind reading). Raphael Bouju of the Netherlands (20.68) and Delphine Nkansa of Belgium (23.31) claimed the silver medals in the men’s and women’s 200m, respectively.
The European U23 Championships distance races witnessed remarkable performances as well, with Ireland’s Sophie O’Sullivan (4:07.18 PB) and Sarah Healy (4:07.36) securing a remarkable 1-2 finish in the women’s 1500m. Juho Alasaari of Finland cleared a height of 571cm to win the men’s pole vault, narrowly surpassing Robin Emig of France and Pal Haugen Lillefosse of Norway, both achieving heights of 566cm.
Other notable gold medalists included Alida van Daalen of the Netherlands in the discus throw (56.77m), Yanis Meziane of France in the men’s 800m (1:45.92), Elina Tzengko of Greece in the women’s javelin (60.73m), Elena Kulichenko of Cyprus in the women’s high jump (191cm), Alejandro Quijada of Spain in the men’s 3000m steeplechase (8:28.91 PB), and Briton Rory Leonard in the men’s 10,000m (29:08.33).
In the thrilling 4x400m relays, Italy emerged victorious in the men’s race, clocking a time of 3:02.49, narrowly defeating Turkiye (3:03.04). France claimed gold in the women’s race, finishing in 3:30.60, just ahead of Switzerland (3:30.62).
